Antenna switching devices, systems, and methods

• US 9,680,219 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Yan, Hongbo, Filipovic, Daniel Fred, He, Ning
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Junpeng
• Application Number:
  US13/838,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20130310109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 4552772, 455 412, 455500, 455522, 455574, 4555757, 4555621, 375267, 375347, 370252, 370329, 370334
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/44 Transmit/receive switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0404 the mobile station comprising multiple antennas, e.g. to provide uplink diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0602 using antenna switching H04B7/0686 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0608 Antenna selection according to transmission parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0802 using antenna selection H04B7/0868 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0814 based on current reception conditions, e.g. switching to different antenna when signal level is below threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/18 Management of setup rejection or failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus for antenna switching. In one embodiment, a wireless communication apparatus is provided. The wireless communication apparatus includes a plurality of antennas including a first antenna and a second antenna. The wireless communication apparatus further includes at least one receive circuit including a first receive circuit. The wireless communication apparatus further includes a controller configured to selectively switch the first receive circuit from receiving wireless communications via the first antenna to receive wireless communications via the second antenna if one or more performance characteristics of the first antenna are below a threshold in one or more measurement cycles, the one or more measurement cycles including a wake-up cycle outside of a predetermined wake-up cycle. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also claimed and described.

Claims

1. A wireless communication apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of antennas including a first antenna and a second antenna;

at least one receive circuit including a first receive circuit; and

a controller configured to;

during a plurality of predetermined wake-up periods, receive a page channel via the first antenna, wherein the plurality of predetermined wake up periods are negotiated with a network for waking the apparatus from a sleep period according to a predetermined wake-up cycle;

wake up from the sleep period during a measurement period, to monitor one or more performance characteristics of the first antenna, wherein the measurement period comprises a period of time occurring outside of the plurality of predetermined wake-up periods; and

selectively switch to receive the page channel via the second antenna based on the one or more performance characteristics of the first antenna.

2. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more performance characteristics of the first antenna include one or more downlink performance metrics.

3. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 2, wherein the measurement period occurs immediately prior to one of the predetermined wake-up periods.

4. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to selectively switch if the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna are below a threshold during the measurement period.

5. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to:

monitor the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna during the measurement period according to a comparison of the one or more downlink performance metrics to a threshold during a different measurement period; and

selectively switch based on the comparison.

6. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to:

monitor one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna during the measurement period;

compare the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna to the one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna; and

selectively switch based on the comparison.

7. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to:

monitor the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna and one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna during the measurement period;

compare the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna and the second antenna; and

selectively switch based on the comparison.

8. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to serially monitor the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna and the second antenna, the serial monitoring including:

monitoring the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna using the first receive circuit; and

monitoring the one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna using the first receive circuit after the monitoring the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna.

9. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 2,

wherein the controller is further configured to selectively switch back from the second antenna to the first antenna if one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna in a different measurement period are lower than the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna during the different measurement period.

10. A method implemented in a wireless communication apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving wireless communications at a first receive circuit via a first antenna;

during a plurality of predetermined wake-up periods, receiving a page channel via the first antenna, wherein the plurality of predetermined wake-up periods are negotiated with a network for waking the apparatus from a sleep period according to a predetermined wake-up cycle;

waking up from the sleep period during a measurement period, to monitor one or more performance characteristics of the first antenna, wherein the measurement period comprises a period of time occurring outside of the plurality of predetermined wake-up periods; and

selectively switching to receive the page channel via a second antenna based on the one or more performance characteristics of the first antenna.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more performance characteristics of the first antenna include one or more downlink performance metrics.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the measurement period occurs immediately prior to one of the predetermined wake-up periods.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising selectively switching if the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna are below a threshold during the measurement period.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

monitoring the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna during the measurement period according to a comparison of the one or more downlink performance metrics to a threshold during a different measurement period; and

selectively switching based on the comparison.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

monitoring one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna during the measurement period; and

comparing the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna to the one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna; and

selectively switching based on the comparison.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

monitoring the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna and one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna during the measurement period;

comparing the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna and the second antenna; and

selectively switching based on the comparison.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising serially monitoring the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna and the second antenna, the serially monitoring including:

monitoring the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna using the first receive circuit; and

monitoring the one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna using the first receive circuit after the monitoring the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising selectively switching back from the second antenna to the first antenna if one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna in a different measurement period-are lower than the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna during the different measurement period.

19. A wireless communication apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of antennas including a first antenna and a second antenna;

at least one receive circuit including a first receive circuit; and

means for selectively switching configured to;

during a plurality of predetermined wake-up periods, receive a page channel via the first antenna, wherein the plurality of predetermined wake-up periods are negotiated with a network for waking the apparatus from a sleep period according to a predetermined wake-up cycle;

wake up from the sleep period during a measurement period, to monitor one or more performance characteristics of the first antenna, wherein the measurement period comprises a period of time occurring outside of the plurality of predetermined wake-up periods; and

selectively switch to receive the page channel via the second antenna based on the one or more performance characteristics of the first antenna.

20. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 19, wherein the one or more performance characteristics of the first antenna include one or more downlink performance metrics.

21. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 20, wherein the measurement period occurs immediately prior to one of the predetermined wake-up periods.

22. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for selectively switching is further configured to selectively switch if the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna are below a threshold during the measurement period.

23. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for selectively switching is further configured to:

monitor the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna during the measurement period according to a comparison of the one or more downlink performance metrics to a threshold during a different measurement period; and

selectively switch based on the comparison.

24. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for selectively switching is further configured to:

monitor one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna during the measurement period;

compare the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna to the one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna; and

selectively switch based on the comparison.

25. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for selectively switching is further configured to:

monitor the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna and one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna during the measurement period;

compare the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna and the second antenna; and

selectively switch based on the comparison.

26. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for selectively switching is further configured to serially monitor the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna and the second antenna, the serially monitoring including:

monitoring the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna using the first receive circuit; and

monitoring the one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna using the first receive circuit after the monitoring the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna.

27. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for selectively switching is further configured to selectively switch back from the second antenna to the first antenna if one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna in a different measurement period are lower than the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna during the different measurement period.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

code, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to receive wireless communications at a first receive circuit via a first antenna;

code, when executed by the computer, causing the computer during a plurality of predetermined wake-up periods, to receive a page channel via the first antenna, wherein the plurality of predetermined wake-up periods are negotiated with a network for waking the computer from a sleep period according to a predetermined wake-up cycle;

code, when executed by the computer, causing the computer to wake up from the sleep period during a measurement period, to monitor one or more performance characteristics of the first antenna, wherein the measurement period comprises a period of time occurring outside of the plurality of predetermined wake-up periods; and

code, when executed by the computer, causing the computer to selectively switch to receive the page channel via a second antenna based on the one or more performance characteristics of the first antenna.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the one or more performance characteristics of the first antenna include one or more downlink performance metrics.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the measurement period occurs immediately prior to one of the predetermined wake-up periods.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, further comprising code, when executed by the computer, causing the computer to selectively switch if the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna are below a threshold during the measurement period.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, further comprising code, when executed by the computer, causing the computer to:

monitor the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna during the measurement period according to a comparison of the one or more downlink performance metrics to a threshold during a different measurement period; and

selectively switch based on the comparison.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, further comprising code, when executed by the computer, causing the computer to:

monitor one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna during the measurement period; and

compare the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna to the one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna; and

selectively switch based on the comparison.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, further comprising code, when executed by the computer, causing the computer to:

monitor the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna and one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna during the measurement period;

compare the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna and the second antenna; and

selectively switch based on the comparison.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 34, further comprising code, when executed by the computer, causing the computer to serially monitor the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna and the second antenna, the serially monitoring including:

monitoring the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna using the first receive circuit; and

monitoring the one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna using the first receive circuit after the monitoring the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, further comprising code, when executed by the computer, causing the computer to selectively switch back from the second antenna to the first antenna if one or more downlink performance metrics of the second antenna in a different measurement period are lower than the one or more downlink performance metrics of the first antenna during the different measurement period.